


Little Notes

by disneydork



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Disney Quotes, Implied ElsaMaren, Movie: Frozen (2013), Oneshot, something positive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25038055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disneydork/pseuds/disneydork
Summary: Sometimes Elsa just needs a few notes of encouragement to get through her days.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	Little Notes

**Author's Note:**

> This was a spur of the moment idea, a really short oneshot where Elsa looks back on what her family leaving little notes of encouragement has meant for her.
> 
> I know the last few months have been difficult for everyone and we're still going through so much unknown and things are still insane and kinda scary right now. Sometimes at work during the pandemic, i tried to leave a few of my coworkers encouraging notes like in the story. And recently one of my coworkers who i've become close with came to me and expressed not only how grateful she was for the encouragement and when she saw my doodles around, but she was saying the nicest things and i just.... It was so nice and incredible and got me right in the heart. I just wanted to be able to do more than that. So between that, knowing how crazy everything still is, realizing how much everyone is going through... i wanted to write something (hopefully encouraging) to share with you guys, too. I know it's not much, but i hope it does something to put a smile on everyone's faces. And i promise the next thing i post will be much longer, thoughtful, detailed,and hopefully also serve as a good distraction!

_Go the distance._

_Don’t just fly. Soar._

_Keep moving forward._

_Rise like the break of dawn._

_Look how far you’ve come._

They were such little things. Song lyrics or movie quotes written on colorful index cards to found anywhere in Elsa’s possession. They were words that had so much meaning yet were so easily overlooked. But Elsa never once took them for granted.

She’d had her fair share of trials and tribulations. She had been one of the smartest students in school. She took AP classes, tutored, was involved in extracurricular despite her at times crippling social anxiety. She was involved with both her school and community. She listened to her parents. She was responsible. She watched over her brother and sister.

But then she came out to them. And suddenly nothing she did was good enough. It didn’t matter how smart she was. How involved she was. How much she did. How much she cared. It didn’t matter that she overcame her introverted-ness and found someone who liked her for her that just happened to be a girl. As far as her parents were considered, that was the end of it.

So Elsa was on her own. She left the home she grew up in, took two jobs, applied for assistance, found the cheapest possible apartment in the worst part of town, and began working her way up. Those first two years on her own, especially being at the tail end of high school, had been the roughest two years of her life. Yet it was simple quotes like those that helped her get through the days.

_Just keep pushing on._

_Keep moving forward._

_Try everything._

Every day, without fail, it would start with an envelope in her mailbox. Each day would contain a different line, written in Anna’s huge, bubbly handwriting.

Elsa had only been able to catch glimpses of Anna during school hours. When Elsa was a senior, Anna was a freshman. There was hardly ever any interaction except maybe during lunchtime. Anna knew where Elsa’s locker was; she stopped by every morning to give her a hug and, after the final bell, would sometimes try to convince Elsa to stay after school with her to help work on an assignment. Anna had three golden opportunities every school day to just say something to Elsa or give her the note then.

Instead she waited until Elsa was home, where there was no one else waiting for her. When it was late at night and she’d had a difficult day. When she felt like she hit her lowest point and wanted to crash. That would always be when Elsa found the note. She’d read it, know it was from Anna, and suddenly her world would feel just a little bit brighter. No, it wouldn’t change anything that actually happened. It wouldn’t make her parents magically accept her nor give Elsa the time she desired with her sister. But it always reminded Elsa that she wasn’t alone and she had someone believing in her.

_You are braver than you believe._

_Just keep swimming._

_Go the distance._

Then the car accident happened. It was shortly before Elsa was to begin college.

That is, if two online college classes meant anything.

Suddenly Anna and Olaf were left alone with no parents to care for them. Anna was still in high school and Olaf had just begun elementary school. They had no one else, nor was it specified in either of their parents’ wills who would take in their children.

There had been no doubt in Elsa’s mind. She would make room in her tiny one-bedroom apartment for her brother and sister. She would drop her college classes and work extra. Make just enough money to continue sending them to school and cover the bare minimum. She’d stay on assistance for as long as she needed to if it meant keeping the family together.

And suddenly more notes began popping up. They were no longer in her mailbox. She’d find them in the bathroom. Attached to a box of cereal in the morning. On her windshield before going to work. On the fridge. She’d find multiple notes a day. And not all of them would be from Anna. Some, with the misspellings and messy handwriting, were very clearly Olaf’s.

_Reech for the ski._

_Ohana meen famly._

_Live ur dream._

Without fail, every day those little notes would bring the warmest smile to Elsa’s face. No matter how little she was home, no matter what was going on in her life, and no matter how much she was struggling, her siblings were always there. They had complete unrelenting faith in her. And they never let her forget it.

So she continued fighting. She fought through the long nights. She fought through the abusive customers. She fought through late fees. She fought with people who couldn’t possibly understand. Elsa fought through hell and back for her family.

_All it takes is faith, trust, and pixie dust._

_One day you’ll know how far you’ll go._

_Even miracles take a little time._

Olaf was one of the most creative children in his school. Whether it was his artwork, his stories, or his acting, he never failed to put a smile on someone’s face. He earned a reward for a writing contest in fifth grade. His sculptures were on display in his school’s art shows. Oh, he’d always smile proudly when he’d say his big sister helped him; but Elsa could never take any of the credit. She may have helped him adjust a few small things or perhaps pick out just the right color to use, but the idea, execution, and everything in between was all Olaf.

His spelling also improved vastly, she might add.

Anna was never the smartest or most focused student, but she was one of the most hardworking. Even when she was struggling with a class or an assignment, she would still make time for work on the weekends to help cover rent. And somehow, she never found time to complain about her struggles. Oh sure, she could be a bit overdramatic with some assignments; Elsa lost count of how many times Anna claimed subjects like math and science were just SO boring and how Anna was OBVIOUSLY never going to need them in her life. But she never complained about not having the life or free time that her classmates did. And somehow, through it all, Anna skipped through everything with the biggest smile on her face.

Elsa would always say Anna was the most selfless person she knew, but Anna turned it around and said she learned from the best.

Elsa maintained multiple jobs at once as the years went on. They ranged from the obvious like fast food or retail to jobs that required slightly more experience like store management and secretarial work. And somehow, she found time to freelance. Elsa’s first love of art was sculpting, something she very much enjoyed sharing with Olaf. But it was much easier to sell paintings. She’d leave signs advertising in the stores she worked at; frequent crafting stores after a shift; and even went so far as to open a store on Etsy. When it came to painting, landscapes were a preference; Elsa always preferred the serenity of the outdoors, devoid of most human contact, to the murals or posters inspired by children’s characters. But who was she to argue when the family angle did wonders? Plus, between Olaf being Olaf and Anna’s natural bubbly personality, freelancing worked wonders for some extra bucks.

At first, when all seemed like it was against Elsa, she found a way to overcome it all.

_It’s kind of fun to do the impossible._

_If you can dream it, you can do it._

It was during one of her freelance gigs that the most unexpected person came into Elsa’s life.

Ever since the debacle in high school, Elsa put her love life on infinite hold. And since taking in her siblings, her personal life was on the backburner. Elsa had no problems with either of those decisions. She had her priorities and her family was at the top of her list.

Also, money, because apparently that was a thing people needed to survive.

Maren had commissioned Elsa to paint a landscape for her grandmother. At first Elsa was thrilled because it actually gave her an opportunity to design something she enjoyed. Of course, then there was the matter of location. Maren seemed to have a very specific one in mind. What was meant to start out as a few daytrips to see the sight, take it in, begin the preliminary sketches, and take note of the countless colors became more…. Oh, what was that term Disney used?

Research trips?

Except the research never about the landscape.

It was about Maren.

She was more extroverted than Elsa, but she pulled her out of her comfort zone.

She was more of a free spirit and encouraged Elsa to break away from the constant scheduling and perfectionism she was so prone to even before her life was thrown into chaos.

She could have a bit of a big mouth at times, but never failed to distract Elsa from anything that was bringing her down.

And when she listened, just sat there and listened to the blonde talk about anything, her honey-colored eyes were only focused on Elsa. She had the brightest eyes and the warmest smile.

But what could Maren want with someone like Elsa? With all that she’d been through? With all of her already existing commitments? With her hectic scheduling, anxiety, self-deprecation, and her undying loyalty to her brother and sister?

Elsa received her answer in the most unexpected way possible. It was after a research trip, their last one in fact. The painting was complete and, once Elsa would add the final touches and assist Maren in framing and wrapping it, there would no longer be a need for their get-togethers. After Elsa dropped Maren off for what she believed would be the last time and she entered her apartment, Elsa found a note sticking out of her pocketbook.

_You fill my world with sunshine._

And just like that, Elsa was hooked.

Even after Anna moved in with her boyfriend and Olaf stayed with Elsa throughout his schooling, a day never went by where Elsa didn’t find one of those notes. Anna returned to leaving them in her mailbox, always giving the blonde something to look forward to. Olaf would stick his note to Elsa on her favorite box of cereal before he’d be off to school. And every time Maren would come over, she’d find a way to sneak a note from her into Elsa’s bedroom for her to find right before going to sleep.

_To infinity and beyond!_

Olaf’s were typically from some of his favorite characters, and he always made sure to include a huge smiley face at the bottom. Elsa could never imagine a better way to start her day.

_Your rainbow is always smiling through._

Anna gravitated more towards song lyrics, but sometimes she’d adjust a few words. Elsa would always look through the mail first thing when returning home and, no matter what kind of day she was having, seeing the words of encouragement from Anna made her feel infinitely better.

_A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all._

Sometimes Maren would leave the larger quotes, the so-obvious ones that anyone could pick out where they were from. She tried to do those so much in the beginning, as if she needed to impress Elsa with her encouragement somehow.

_Step into your power._

Other times the encouraging notes were just that – encouraging notes. They didn’t always need to be these profound quotes with deep meanings. Sometimes they just needed to be something positive.

No matter what came Elsa’s way, no matter how much she had to fight or struggle, no matter how terrible her day was the notes always lifted her spirits to new heights. She kept every single one of those notes. Even if any of them repeated.

And A LOT of them were repeated multiple times!

Even if they were illegible; tattered; ripped; or crumbled.

Even if she already received her quota of notes for the day.

Even if she felt like she was in the best mood she could possibly be in.

Elsa kept every single one of those notes in a box. And every day she would open the box to add the new notes. She’d go through them all and realize how far she made it. She went from having literally nothing to having everything. Dreams that once seemed impossible were now not only achievable, but also actually sitting in the palm of Elsa’s hand.

So when the time finally came for Elsa to express how grateful and happy she was for all of the positivity through the years, she could think of nothing better than to share her own note with each of them. She gathered the three together and handed them each a card. Inexplicably, they all said the same thing.

_You are my new dream._

“I don’t get it,” Olaf tilted his head curiously.

“Yeah I mean, c’mon Elsa! You’ve had like THOUSANDS of quotes we used for you and you couldn’t even come up with one for each of us? I thought you were supposed to be the creative one,” Anna teased.

“Actually there’s a reason they’re all the same,” Elsa stated. She eyed the three sitting before her and then focused on Olaf. She stepped to him first, kneeling down to him so they were at eye level. Despite how much he’d grown over the years he was still much shorter than his oldest sister, so even when he was sitting Elsa had to get on both of her knees to meet his gaze perfectly.

“My new dream for you, Olaf, is for you to keep doing exactly what you are doing. You are so creative and intuitive. You see the world in such a special and unique way. Not everyone is going to understand or accept that. But I hope that you take the time to understand how truly special your gift is so that when the time is right, you are going to do the most incredible things with it.”

“Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiike become the first ever singing sculpting ninja in space to see Pluto?” he asked with bright eyes and his usual childlike wonder.

Elsa giggled. “I hope you do exactly that,” she told him before kissing his forehead.

She approached Anna next, taking her left hand in hers and gently running a finger over the shimmering new wedding band.

“No, no, you are NOT about to make me emotional right now! You know my hormones are like, all over the place!” Anna sniffed. She tried so hard to sound high, mighty, and like she totally had everything under control. But the reality was she looked like she was going to explode in a fit of happy tears before Elsa even opened her mouth.

Yet somehow, even when Elsa felt her insides were going to explode, she managed to keep her composure.

“Anna, I always dreamed for you to do better than me. To never go through anything I had to. I want you to be better than me. And I know you are more than capable of that. But you, just being around you, has always been my dream. Waking up to your cheerful disposition every morning. Watching you open your arms, soul, and heart to anyone and everyone. Seeing you grow from a clumsy little girl into the most incredible and well-rounded woman. You’re not just my new dream, Anna. Your children are. And I can only hope that they grow to be a fraction of the wonderful person you are.”

Anna was barely able to contain her emotions. She had already been bawling before Elsa finished her first sentence. Unable to hold back, she threw herself into her sister’s arms and hugged her tight. Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna, falling into the warm and familiar embrace of her sister. She could hear her trying to choke out a response between sniffles and sobs.

“Th…th…thank you…. Fo…for everything you…you did…f…for me…for…for us….”

Elsa could only smile softly and shake her head as she caressed her sister’s back. “No, Anna. I am the one who should be thanking you. You are the one who started all of this. I never would have made it through without you.”

Slowly, the sisters broke apart and Elsa approached the final person. The one who she least expected to come into her life. The one who not only accepted her past for everything it was, but who accepted her for everything she was. Who never questioned a single thing and slipped into Elsa’s life as if she had always been a part of it.

“So what enlightening speech are you gonna give me?” Maren teased playfully.

There was so much Elsa could have said. She could have said how Maren came into her life so unexpectedly. She could have said how unprepared and scared she was of the change, of opening her heart and life to someone. She could have said what a surprise it was for Maren to just fit in like a perfect puzzle piece. That everything Maren did was of her own accord, because she wanted to; never once because Elsa asked or expected it of her.

But the truth was she couldn’t fully put it into words what the card meant. She couldn’t begin to describe what the sentence meant to Elsa without potentially joining Anna with uncontrollable happy tears.

“Actually…it’s more of a question,” Elsa confessed.

She met Maren’s slightly confused eyes before slowly sitting down in front of her. Elsa placed her hands in Maren’s lap, running them briefly over Maren’s hands. She felt a squeeze from Maren and Elsa returned the gesture, if only briefly, before forcing her hands away. Then, she adjusted herself so she had only one knee on the ground. From her blazer pocket she removed a small black box and, finally, opened it to reveal a ring.

“Will you be my new dream?”

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case anyone wanted where all the quotes came from.  
> Hercules; Dumbo; Meet the Robinsons; Let It Go, Frozen; Try Everything, Zootopia;  
> The Climb, Miley Cyrus; Zootopia; Winnie the Pooh; Finding Nemo; Toy Story; Lilo & Stitch; Tangled; Peter Pan; Moana; Cinderella; Walt Disney; Snow White; Toy Story; A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella; Mulan; Show Yourself, Frozen; Tangled.


End file.
